


Allure of the Unknown

by KingofPark



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Mythology, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-19
Updated: 2020-07-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:42:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25387750
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KingofPark/pseuds/KingofPark
Summary: Short for day 6 of Jearmin week 2020: MythologyI wrote this in less than a day, but I just couldn't possibly go without doing at least one thing for Jearmin week.In this short, Jean is a college freshman, and Armin, well, he isn't human.
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Jean Kirstein
Kudos: 11





	Allure of the Unknown

**Author's Note:**

> I don't typically write shorts so I hope this turned out okay.
> 
> Also I didn't take the time to edit this so I hope there aren't too many mistakes.

Yesterday felt like a surreal dream.

As I walked from campus to the shore nearby, I tripped over every little pebble and soda can that littered the sidewalk. _How could he do this to me?_ My head was spinning.

I crossed my fingers that the ocean would help calm me down. After kicking off my sandals, I plopped my ass down on one of the large rocks lining the water and closed my eyes. 

The soft crashes of the waves in those calm waters should've been enough to calm me down, but my mind kept wandering to our fight. My whole body shook.

Marco was the only friend I'd managed to keep going into college. And for our Biology projects, out of all the people he could choose, he chose _Jaeger_. I groaned.

College life had been a nightmare so far. I was told I'd make new friends, meet pretty girls, get to experiment. So far, all I managed to do was make enemies. And now, I could lose Marco too. The thought of being completely alone was horrifying. Going against everything I've ever said to her, it made me want to just go back home to Mom and tell her all about the hell I've been through.

But Mom wasn't here. I was alone, with the calm ocean waters behind me. I sniffled. Everything seemed so pointless. I lost myself in my own tears and cursed under my breath about how terribly pathetic I was being. I'd never make it through the semester without—

An unusually wild splash came from behind me. I rushed to run my face of the evidence and turned around to find a seashell perched innocently behind me high up on the boulder. It couldnt have just washed up here.

And it wasn't just any regular seashell either. It was pretty large—about the side of my hand. A champagne pink on the outside, and a vibrant orange on the inside. It was truly beautiful. _But where did it come from?_

I looked up. As I did, I heard a similar splash to the one before come from behind another boulder out in the water that barely peeked above the surface. I could've sworn I saw a flash of blond hair, but I wasn't willing to try to find out. 

My head was still spinning, though more out of fear and confusion than frustration. I pocketed the precious shell and speed walked back to campus.

But that was yesterday. Curiosity led me right back to this spot.

The idea that someone or something noticed me crying and attempted to cheer me up was exciting. _Could there really be...?_

I leaned over the boulder and peered into the sparkling vibrant water. I'd never seen water so beautiful. During all of those beach vacations as a kid, the water was a mucky green, but here, you could practically see the sand at the bottom clear as day, if you squinted hard enough. It was surprisingly deep for being so close to the shore.

And it was so vast out there. My attention was torn from the water to the equally lovely sunset. It seemed that everything here was so breathtaking I'd never get tired of looking at it.

But I was harshly forced to look away from that sunset, as my wrist was grabbed and suddenly I was completely under the water, and almost just as quickly I was pulled up. A finger to my lips stifled my desperate gasps for air.

When I caught my breath, floating before me was a smiling blond, draped in seaweed. I kicked my legs frantically, never having been that good of a swimmer, while the creature in front of me swayed in the water gracefully.

"Hi," is all that it said. It smelled of saltwater and...something else I couldn't place. Something alluring.

"What are you?" I asked, heart pounding faster and faster. It looked human, but clearly, it was some kind of mermaid, or perhaps a seaweed monster. Worst of all, it didn't seem too eager to save me from drowning.

"Well, that isn't very polite," it shook its head. One piece of seaweed slipped from atop its blond head and fell to the water with a _plop_. "Why don't you grab onto the cliffside behind you and try that again?"

Sure enough, the bottom of the cliff was behind my back, and its rocky wall was just rough enough for me to grab onto.

After a very long, silent moment, the sea creature sighed. "I'm Armin," it—or _he_ said, "and I think... that you must be Jean."

"How did you know that?"

"Don't worry so much, Jean. I'm not that much different from you, you know, besides..." He held up a hand of webbed, slender fingers. Perhaps in response to the fear still on my face, his expression saddened. He looked away from me. "Listen I'm... sorry about the little prank. I don't normally do things like that, I just... it gets lonely out here sometimes, you know?"

"Uh...don't you have mer-friends to keep you company?"

He let out a breathy laugh and shook his head. "I'm not a mermaid... or merman or whatever else you might call them. I'm just...lonely."

I squinted in disbelief. "So then what do you want with me?"

"Oh uh... nothing." He bit his lip, carefully calculating what to say next. "I just want to know... if you liked your gift. And if you still have it."

"Uh, yeah." I was taken aback by this creature's seeming shyness. It was... kind of cute. "It was really cool looking. I have it back at my dorm room."

He smiled, appearing genuinely relieved. "Oh good." After a moment, his face lit up, as if remembering something. "It was really nice talking to you, Jean. I won't bother you anymore but... I just have one thing to ask of you."

"And what's that?"

"Don't tell anyone about what you saw here, okay?"

• 

"You guys will not _believe_ what I saw yesterday," I blabbed, seashell in hand, bursting at the seams with information that I just had to get out.

At their table, while Marco looked interested, Eren scrunched his face up in annoyance. 

"This like...person that lived in the ocean—not a mermaid though—pulled me into the water and was taking to me! For real guys, I think we've got a real discovery here!"

"Not a mermaid, huh?" Marco mused, "Maybe it was a siren or a nereid?"

"A nereid?" I'd never heard of such a thing.

"An ocean nymph," he clarified.

Eren scoffed, "Don't be ridiculous. You didnt see anything." He didn't even bother looking up from his textbook, even though he clearly hadn't been reading it. 

"I did." I triumphantly presented the seashell. "He gave me this. And he told me his name."

Eren gave me the side eye. "Which was?"

"Armin."

He dropped his head into his book and slammed his fist onto the table. "God damn it! How many times have I told him...?"

From the next table over, as if instinctively, Mikasa dropped her book and rushed to Eren's side. "We knew this would happen eventually. Don't get worked up." She rubbed his shoulder.

"Wait, wait. What the hell is going on here? You all knew about this?"

Marco avoided eye contact. 

"Listen Jean," Eren grumbled. "I'd stay away from him if I were you."

"And why should I?"

"I've been trying so hard to keep him protected for so damn long," he shook his head. "Normally his kind would choose someplace remote to lure suckers to their deaths, but I just can't get him to stay away."

With every word, I became more intrigued. "Why would Armin want to kill anybody?"

"It isnt like that," Mikasa spoke up, offended by my choice of words. "Armin would never want to kill anybody. But you just can't fight the nature of things and win."

"Yeah," Eren nodded. "If it wasn't for that silly little dream of his, he'd never gamble with his own safety or anybody else's the way he has been."

"Maybe we should get back to work, guys," Marco sputtered.

"No, no, wait. What dream?"

"He just wants to...explore the world," Eren smiled somberly, before his expression turned sour. "But unless he wants to be tortured and experimented on like some kind of monster, I can't let that happen. So like I said before, I'd stay away from this Jean, or there's gonna be hell to pay."

"Yeah, whatever," I mumbled, stuffing the shell back into my pocket. My mind already made, I headed out of the library.

Marco's reaction to all this told me he'd already gotten that little threat from Eren. But I wasn't scared. Out of pure spite, I was led right back to the beach, in that same spot, and called out his name.

"Armin!"

A little blond head rised slowly out of the water, stopping just below the nose.

"I'm gonna be the one that gets you out of here."

He popped his head the rest of the way out of the water. "Wait, I told you not to tell anyone!"

"Eren's an idiot if he thinks he's protecting you by leaving you all alone like this." I walked right into the water, not caring about the wet clothes I'd have to deal with later. As I got close, the alluring air around him hit me like a tidal wave. As I thought to myself that maybe there was something to this, that I could be putting myself into danger, it was already too late. I couldn't control myself, and locked my lips to his. It should've tasted like taking a slurp of saltwater, but his kiss was sweet and his lips were soft.

When I pulled back, his eyes were wide. "No...no...why would you do that?"

It was many things. It was out of spite for Eren. It was my fear of being alone. It was Marco's betrayal that made me feel like I had something to prove. It was this thick air around me that was pulling me to this boy like a magnet. It was...

I pulled the shell out of my pocket. Water poured out of it and dripped down my arm.

"Your life is worth more than a lousy shell."

"It's not just that, you idiot!" I coughed, "I mean, just forget it and come with me." I grabbed his hand and began to pull him to shore.

"No wait!" He wrenched his hand back. "That'd be indecent!" He blushed and covered up what was still under the water.

I hadn't even given any thought that he wouldn't be wearing anything under there. My face grew red hot. 

"Well, tomorrow then," I said. "I'll bring you some clothes, and then we'll go."

He brought his hand to his mouth and nibbled on a fingernail for a second. "Are you sure?"

I nodded firmly. Whatever was to come, witnesseing the expressions on his face would make everything worth it.

Eyes full of romantic desire and childish hope all at once, "Perhaps you won't have to die after all..." His face lit up. "If you make it your mission to get me to fall in love with you, then...then I'll have no choice but to go!"

Confused by the proposition and impatient with all of the cryptic nonsense, I waited for him to elaborate.

"Geez Jean, dont you know?" He laughed, "it's no myth that love conquers all."


End file.
